My story
I'm Jorge Avilan. I moved from Vancouver to Winnipeg with no job, no friends, and no savings. I'm not here to sell you a course or pretend I'm already a guru. This site is my diary: the wins, the losses, the numbers, and the Winnipeg professionals who are helping me turn a duplex into a portfolio that one day funds schools and dignified housing in South America.
The full picture
My family left Venezuela for Vancouver hoping to build a life. We tried for years, but it always felt like an uphill battle. In February 2026 I decided to try again, alone this time, and moved to Winnipeg with no job, no friends in the city, and no savings. Just me, a couple of bags, and the hope that a smaller city might finally give me a real shot.
Real estate is a way to provide value to everyone. To the tenant, by giving them a dignified place to live at a fair price. To the government, through taxes on the income generated, which help build roads and schools. To the communities in North Vancouver, by using part of the profits to build schools there. And to my family, by building wealth we can transfer forward. That is why I am doing this.
I am not trying to build an empire. The plan is simple. Buy small multifamily properties in Winnipeg, live in one unit, rent the others, and let the numbers do the heavy lifting. Character homes, kept up properly, with rents that are fair. Nothing flashy.
Walking in with no Canadian credit history and no local network, I needed people willing to meet me where I was. Terrin Ramsey at Castle Mortgage Group explained what a newcomer's file could actually qualify for. Dennis Wiebe at Vivico Real Estate Inc. showed me the properties that made sense, and the ones that did not. I am sharing them because they genuinely helped me start from zero.
About six months after landing in Winnipeg I closed on a small duplex. The rent from the other unit covers most of my housing cost, which frees up money and mental space to look at the next one. I am figuring a lot of this out as I go, and I am documenting it so other newcomers do not have to start blind.
"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now."
— some wise old man
Deal one
Figures rounded for readability. Illustrative only, not tax or investment advice.
Six-month timeline
Born and raised in Venezuela. My family moved to Vancouver and we spent years trying to get established. It always felt like an uphill battle.
Packed my bags and moved to Winnipeg alone. No job, no friends in the city, no savings. Just the hope that a smaller, more affordable market would finally give me a real shot.
Got the basics in order. SIN, bank account, credit card, and a job so I could start showing income on paper.
Sat down with Terrin. She walked me through how lenders actually look at a newcomer's file and what a realistic price range looked like for me.
Started walking properties with Dennis. Learned pretty quickly what a solid small multifamily looks like, and what a money pit looks like.
An older duplex in the core came up. The numbers made sense, the inspection came back clean, and the seller was reasonable.
Financing came together through CMHC's owner occupied program. Got the keys and started looking for a tenant for the second unit.
First full month of rent landed in the account. My housing cost dropped to almost nothing, and I started saving toward the next property, and eventually, the first school.
Get routed to Dennis or Terrin in 60 seconds and start scoping your first Winnipeg house hack.